Allen Iverson's tenure with the Grizzlies is now over. Iverson signed with a one-year contract with Memphis that paid him just over $3 million, but he will receive only a small fraction of that amount.

“The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have come to a mutual agreement that because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on November 7, Allen will step away from the game at this time, allowing him to focus on those matters," said general manager Chris Wallace in a statement.

“As a result, we will be ending our contractual agreement with Allen, which will allow both parties to move forward. We wish Allen the best.”

Iverson averaged 12.3 points per game in his three appearances with the Grizzlies.

Allen Iverson's tenure with the Grizzlies is now over. Iverson signed with a one-year contract with Memphis that paid him just over $3 million, but he will receive only a small fraction of that amount.

“The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have come to a mutual agreement that because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on November 7, Allen will step away from the game at this time, allowing him to focus on those matters," said general manager Chris Wallace in a statement.

“As a result, we will be ending our contractual agreement with Allen, which will allow both parties to move forward. We wish Allen the best.”

Iverson averaged 12.3 points per game in his three appearances with the Grizzlies.

metalface wrote:Its sad to see how low Iverson's career has gone. But he should be realistic with himself and realize that its not 2001 anymore. Oh well, this was destined to disastrous from the very beginning.

You make some good points metalface.

Iverson is arguably one of the 30 greatest players of all time, yet his career is not ending the way it should. He should be able to retire with dignity, and I hope he gets that chance.

But you're right that he needs to accept that he is in the twilight of his career. Does it really matter that much if he comes off the bench? I know he has his pride and his ego, but if his motivation was to prove that he could still play, he can still very much achieve that coming off the bench.

His experiment with Memphis was always going to be a disaster, like you said. Personally, I think he should try and sign for a contender, and maybe go out with a ring. I am sure there is a team out there that could use his veteran leadership, scoring and hustle, whether it's starting or coming off the bench. My suggestions would be Boston or San Antonio.

The problem with Iverson is that he thinks he should be starting for any team he's on. It doesn't matter who. If he can't accept what teams see him today as, then he's basically out of a job... at least in the NBA.

Allen Iverson's tenure with the Grizzlies is now over. Iverson signed with a one-year contract with Memphis that paid him just over $3 million, but he will receive only a small fraction of that amount.

“The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have come to a mutual agreement that because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on November 7, Allen will step away from the game at this time, allowing him to focus on those matters," said general manager Chris Wallace in a statement.

“As a result, we will be ending our contractual agreement with Allen, which will allow both parties to move forward. We wish Allen the best.”

Iverson averaged 12.3 points per game in his three appearances with the Grizzlies.

Via RealGM Staff Report

wonder what the "personal matters" are

i'd say refusing to come off the bench lol

Exactly.

What's funny here is that I don't see how Mike Conley deserves to start over him... but hey, if the coach decides that you come from the bench, you have to accept it. There's no other way around it.

Iverson still is top5 scoring and top 10 player material, he just needs to be in the right team and want to do it. Reckon he would be a good fit for Phoenix alongside Nash, he would have to be SG and accept feeding off Nash and Amare and not getting the ball as much

PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson is set to retire from the NBA, according to an online report.

Commentator Stephen A. Smith published a statement on his Web site Wednesday attributed to Iverson. It said Iverson plans to retire but also that "I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level."

The statement also said Iverson has tremendous love for the game and the desire to play.

The 10-time All-Star played three games this season with Memphis before taking a leave of absence to attend to personal matters. He was waived after the two sides agreed to part ways.

It was the second straight ugly ending for Iverson, who was unhappy last season playing for the Pistons. He was upset that Detroit coach Michael Curry and Memphis' Lionel Hollins used the former MVP as a reserve.

The New York Knicks considered signing Iverson last week after he cleared waivers, before deciding he would take too much playing time away from younger players they are trying to develop.

The Knicks seemed to be the only team who would consider bringing in Iverson, so there was no guarantee he'd play in the NBA this season, anyway. Still, the announcement Wednesday came as a surprise to George Karl, who coached Iverson in Denver.

"I think he still has something left to give some team out there. If that's his decision, he'll go down in history, I think, as the greatest little guard ever to play the game of basketball," Karl said.

"I was happy to have him for a couple years and hopefully our paths will cross. But I have a sneaky feeling that somewhere along the way an injury or a circumstance with a team will open that window back up."

One of the NBA's great scorers, Iverson entered this season with a career average of 27.1 points that ranked fifth all time. Yet there was almost no interest in him this summer before he went to the Grizzlies on a one-year deal.

Iverson can still score, as he averaged 17.4 points with the Pistons last season. Yet he has made it clear he doesn't view himself as a backup, which has likely hurt his chances of signing with a contending team.

The 6-foot guard thanked former players and coaches in the statement, plus the fans in Memphis and Philadelphia, where he spent his best years. He said stepping away would allow him to spend more time with his wife and kids.

He also said he thought he could still play.

"I always thought that when I left the game, it would be because I couldn't help my team the way that I was accustomed to," it read. "However, that is not the case."

Messages were left for Iverson's agent, Leon Rose, and his business manager, Gary Moore.

If this is the end for Iverson, he leaves with four scoring titles and a playoff scoring average of 29.7 points that ranks second only to Michael Jordan. He led the 76ers to the 2001 NBA finals but never won a championship.

Or he could choose to wait and see if a team in need of a scorer comes looking for him later this season.

"I don't ever believe anyone retires until they get to the point they have to," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "He had a great career if it is true, but I still think he has more to offer."

Kind of a noble move, I guess. He's not going to lie to himself and pretend he is comfortable not being THE MAN on a team (kinda makes you wonder if the Grizzlies flat out lied to him during the offseason, or if Iverson completely ignored the plan the Grizzlies laid out to him).

Still though, he'll be back, or at the very least heavily rumored to be coming back. Some weak eastern conference team that thinks it has a chance at the playoffs in January or February probably. Charlotte?

fine wrote:Still though, he'll be back, or at the very least heavily rumored to be coming back. Some weak eastern conference team that thinks it has a chance at the playoffs in January or February probably. Charlotte?

Miami?

I also expect him to "try" a comeback at some point. Or, at least, consider it.

I see him as a top 20 player ever, at the very least. Up until two years ago, his career was better than Kobe's and this is statistical and literal, for anyone who saw them play. Iverson is another superstar that never won a championship and was on relatively bad teams, like Barkley in Philadelphia and Ewing in New York, for the first seven seasons anyway.

Reckon he'll come back, maybe for a team like San Antonio, who might look for that high power to get them over the rest of the contender teams

migya wrote:I see him as a top 20 player ever, at the very least. Up until two years ago, his career was better than Kobe's and this is statistical and literal, for anyone who saw them play. Iverson is another superstar that never won a championship and was on relatively bad teams, like Barkley in Philadelphia and Ewing in New York, for the first seven seasons anyway.

Reckon he'll come back, maybe for a team like San Antonio, who might look for that high power to get them over the rest of the contender teams

WHAT? Seriously? AI is not even in the same world as a player to Kobe. And Top 20? Man, scoring points sure gets overated. AI was nowhere close to being a complete player... while I admired his tenacity, I think he is WAY overrated by the masses... this post being further evidence.

migya wrote:I see him as a top 20 player ever, at the very least. Up until two years ago, his career was better than Kobe's and this is statistical and literal, for anyone who saw them play. Iverson is another superstar that never won a championship and was on relatively bad teams, like Barkley in Philadelphia and Ewing in New York, for the first seven seasons anyway.

Reckon he'll come back, maybe for a team like San Antonio, who might look for that high power to get them over the rest of the contender teams

lol ya lost me at the better than Kobe part bit mate. I hate Kobe, but he's prolly the best we've seen since that Jordan guy

migya wrote:I see him as a top 20 player ever, at the very least. Up until two years ago, his career was better than Kobe's and this is statistical and literal, for anyone who saw them play. Iverson is another superstar that never won a championship and was on relatively bad teams, like Barkley in Philadelphia and Ewing in New York, for the first seven seasons anyway.

Reckon he'll come back, maybe for a team like San Antonio, who might look for that high power to get them over the rest of the contender teams

WHAT? Seriously? AI is not even in the same world as a player to Kobe. And Top 20? Man, scoring points sure gets overated. AI was nowhere close to being a complete player... while I admired his tenacity, I think he is WAY overrated by the masses... this post being further evidence.

Eh... I don't totally agree with any of you. Of course saying AI's career was better than Kobe is nonsensical, but I also don't think he was so detrimental as you imply, Bada. He was a GREAT scorer, once of the best we've seen, and that's one of the keys of bball.

Complete?. Of course not. But he was a wonderful offensive weapon, and never really had much help in his prime and still managed to make it to the finals with a pretty awful team.